feeding
The amount of food you feed your horse depends on the size, breed, age and what activities it does. Horses living outside may need more food just to keep them going as they are more active.
A general rule for the amount you feed your horse is 2-2.5% of it’s body weight. For example, a 500 kg horse would require 12.5kg of feed – 1.25kg hard feed and 11.25kg forage. Horses who are worked a lot need more hay than other feeds and their meals should be at least split into two feeds. Some people think that horses will get bored of their food but they never do so you don't need to change their food regularly if at all. Remember if your horse needs medication you will incorporate it within their diet.
Any radical changes will show whether their diet is a good balance and enough. For example if your horse is losing weight increase it's feed or if it's putting on too much decrease it's feed.
A general rule for the amount you feed your horse is 2-2.5% of it’s body weight. For example, a 500 kg horse would require 12.5kg of feed – 1.25kg hard feed and 11.25kg forage. Horses who are worked a lot need more hay than other feeds and their meals should be at least split into two feeds. Some people think that horses will get bored of their food but they never do so you don't need to change their food regularly if at all. Remember if your horse needs medication you will incorporate it within their diet.
Any radical changes will show whether their diet is a good balance and enough. For example if your horse is losing weight increase it's feed or if it's putting on too much decrease it's feed.
The rules of feeding horses
There are lots of different types of feeds for horses and lots of rules too.
1. Clean fresh water should be accessible at all times and the water buckets should be cleaned out regularly. Make sure they can access water before eating.
2. Feed little and often because the horse is big in relation to his stomach so food should be given in small amounts frequently. A horse should be left no longer than 8 hours without food.
3. Buy the best quality food you can and store it in a dry and clean area
4. Try to keep vermin away from the food.
5. Don't feed more than 2kg of hard food per Meal
6. Don't feed directly before riding because it may cause colic or breathing problems. They should be allowed one hour after eating to rest.
7. Don't make sudden changes in their diet do it gradually.
8. Keep a routine the same routine and also make changes gradually if you need to.
9. Try give your horses a succulent each day (Such as apples, carrots etc) so they get the vitamins they need.
10. Feed your horses by weight not volume. One scoop doesn’t always way the same as the next.
11. Don't over or under feed your horse because they could become under or over weight
The different types of feed
Forage- Most of a horse’s diet should be comprise forage. The three basic types are hay, grass and haylage. You put it in a hay net and hang it up in the horses stable.
Hay is dried up grass that has been cut, dried out and then baled were as haylage is sealed in a plastic wrap or bagged whilst it still contains moisture.
Haylage usually as a higher feed value but hay contains more fibre and less water.
Chaff- chaff is chopped up forage (hay, oat straw and alfalfa).They can be mixed with concentrates or eaten be feed alone because they carry vitamins and mineral supplements.
Sugar beet- Sugar beet cubes come from a root vegetable and are a by-product of sugar. They need to be soaked as they swell up when there are wet and if there feed dry they can cause indigestion problems. They are also a good source of fibre.
Feed additives- Feed additives range from broad supplements vitamins and mineral supplements to give a horse good health.
Concentrates- Concentrates include grains (whole, rolled or cracked), sweet feed (grain mixed with molasses), and manufactured feeds (pellets, cubes, or extruded). You can buy bags of feed specially formulated for every stage of a horse's life from creep feed for foals to feed for senior equines.
Salt –Salt is a good substance for a horse that is worked a lot and will sweat quite a bit because it contains lots of minerals and impurities. When your horse sweats so they need salt to replenish the salt they lose. You can add it into their feed or give them a salt lick that they can have when they please. There are a few various types such as ……………….
Natural salt
Processed Salt - Red. Iodine has been added to the salt and the block coloured red to indicate this.
Processed Salt- Blue. Iodine and cobalt have been added to the salt. To indicate this, the salt block is coloured blue.
Processed Salt- Brown. Various minerals have been added to the salt.
Linseed- linseed is a practical way of adding omega-3 to their daily diet and is also high in digestible protein that supports muscle function and also supports the skin promoting a smooth, glossy coat.
Molasses- molasses looks like golden syrup. It comes from left over sugar from sugar cane or sugar beet. It is often in horses feeds. The horses find it fairly tasty as its 50% sugar. It is a direct energy source and is good for a horse that works a lot. Its also is a good source of potassium. Potassium looks after the control of water absorption by organs, bones and muscles. It’s also good because of the syrup consistency, molasses is perfect to press firm cubes and also prevents mueslis from de-mixing.
Bran- Bran is easily digested and provided wet in the form of a bran it proves a useful laxative.
Barley- Barley is given to horses either flaked or micronized. It must be soaked for at least 2 hours before feeding ( like sugar beet it expands when wet so if you gave it to a horse dry it would expand in their stomach and possibly give them colic.) It can be feed dry if it’s rolled and then crushed beforehand. It is nutritious and fattening as it is high in starch, so is good for a horse in poor condition or during winter. Micronised barley has a lower protein and fibre value. Barley may be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Oats – Oats a nutricious and are easy to digest. They are high in energy and when you feed high quantities of oats can cause excessive exuberance in some horses. Oats may be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Maize- maize is high in energy and can make a horse excited if its fed when its not needed to.It is flaked and cooked or steamed to make it easier to digest. It is useful for fattening a horse but should not be fed to horses doing strenuous exercise as it stays in the stomach for a long time. Maize should not be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Water- All creatures need water to keep them alive. Water is absolutely essential to the healthy functioning of a horse’s body. Just like people, horses use water as part of their cooling mechanism by sweating in hot temperatures and need to replace the lost water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Horses will take in up to 30 litres of water a day and ideally a supply of fresh water should be constantly available. Young horses that are still growing will require even more.
Mixes- in mixes you will often find ……………..
· Micronised Wheat
· High Fibre Chaff - Suitable for laminitic ponies
· Coarse Mix - Check the contents list of the bag so you know the energy levels.
· Horse & Pony Nuts - Check the bag for the contents as it looks similar to stud or racehorse cubes
· Shredded Unmollassed Beet Pulp - Must be soaked for 24 hours before feeding
· Micronised Flaked Maize - Found sparingly in mixes
· Micronised Peas & Soya Beans - Found in mixes.
· High Energy Chaff - Contains Alfalfa / Lucerne
· Balancer
Milk Pellets- they contain calcium that make horeses bones stronger.
Limestone flour- High in Calcium, it is used to balance out bran or added to diets requiring more calcium.
Soya Oil – this increases stamina and body weight. Its also rich in omega 6 and linoleic.
Garlic-Aids the repertory and digestive system as well as having antibiotic properties.
Biotin-Aids in keeping the horses hooves, coat and skin healthy.
Mint-Aids in digestion and as a tasty treat to encourage fussy eaters.
Cider Vinegar-Aids in good health and joint suppleness, it contains Potassium, phosphorous, sodium, calcium and iron.
Cod Liver Oil-Supple joints with a healthy coat and shine.
Supplements- carrots and apples are great supplements. Theses are given to horses for treats and sometimes to brighten up their feed.
Herbs- Herbs can be iven to help improve the horses immune, respiratory and digestive system. It also helps with calming, hormoal and mobility and pain relief. They come dried and can be mixeed into herbs.
You can also treat your horses with carrots, apples salt licks and polo mints.
There are lots of different types of feeds for horses and lots of rules too.
1. Clean fresh water should be accessible at all times and the water buckets should be cleaned out regularly. Make sure they can access water before eating.
2. Feed little and often because the horse is big in relation to his stomach so food should be given in small amounts frequently. A horse should be left no longer than 8 hours without food.
3. Buy the best quality food you can and store it in a dry and clean area
4. Try to keep vermin away from the food.
5. Don't feed more than 2kg of hard food per Meal
6. Don't feed directly before riding because it may cause colic or breathing problems. They should be allowed one hour after eating to rest.
7. Don't make sudden changes in their diet do it gradually.
8. Keep a routine the same routine and also make changes gradually if you need to.
9. Try give your horses a succulent each day (Such as apples, carrots etc) so they get the vitamins they need.
10. Feed your horses by weight not volume. One scoop doesn’t always way the same as the next.
11. Don't over or under feed your horse because they could become under or over weight
The different types of feed
Forage- Most of a horse’s diet should be comprise forage. The three basic types are hay, grass and haylage. You put it in a hay net and hang it up in the horses stable.
Hay is dried up grass that has been cut, dried out and then baled were as haylage is sealed in a plastic wrap or bagged whilst it still contains moisture.
Haylage usually as a higher feed value but hay contains more fibre and less water.
Chaff- chaff is chopped up forage (hay, oat straw and alfalfa).They can be mixed with concentrates or eaten be feed alone because they carry vitamins and mineral supplements.
Sugar beet- Sugar beet cubes come from a root vegetable and are a by-product of sugar. They need to be soaked as they swell up when there are wet and if there feed dry they can cause indigestion problems. They are also a good source of fibre.
Feed additives- Feed additives range from broad supplements vitamins and mineral supplements to give a horse good health.
Concentrates- Concentrates include grains (whole, rolled or cracked), sweet feed (grain mixed with molasses), and manufactured feeds (pellets, cubes, or extruded). You can buy bags of feed specially formulated for every stage of a horse's life from creep feed for foals to feed for senior equines.
Salt –Salt is a good substance for a horse that is worked a lot and will sweat quite a bit because it contains lots of minerals and impurities. When your horse sweats so they need salt to replenish the salt they lose. You can add it into their feed or give them a salt lick that they can have when they please. There are a few various types such as ……………….
Natural salt
Processed Salt - Red. Iodine has been added to the salt and the block coloured red to indicate this.
Processed Salt- Blue. Iodine and cobalt have been added to the salt. To indicate this, the salt block is coloured blue.
Processed Salt- Brown. Various minerals have been added to the salt.
Linseed- linseed is a practical way of adding omega-3 to their daily diet and is also high in digestible protein that supports muscle function and also supports the skin promoting a smooth, glossy coat.
Molasses- molasses looks like golden syrup. It comes from left over sugar from sugar cane or sugar beet. It is often in horses feeds. The horses find it fairly tasty as its 50% sugar. It is a direct energy source and is good for a horse that works a lot. Its also is a good source of potassium. Potassium looks after the control of water absorption by organs, bones and muscles. It’s also good because of the syrup consistency, molasses is perfect to press firm cubes and also prevents mueslis from de-mixing.
Bran- Bran is easily digested and provided wet in the form of a bran it proves a useful laxative.
Barley- Barley is given to horses either flaked or micronized. It must be soaked for at least 2 hours before feeding ( like sugar beet it expands when wet so if you gave it to a horse dry it would expand in their stomach and possibly give them colic.) It can be feed dry if it’s rolled and then crushed beforehand. It is nutritious and fattening as it is high in starch, so is good for a horse in poor condition or during winter. Micronised barley has a lower protein and fibre value. Barley may be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Oats – Oats a nutricious and are easy to digest. They are high in energy and when you feed high quantities of oats can cause excessive exuberance in some horses. Oats may be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Maize- maize is high in energy and can make a horse excited if its fed when its not needed to.It is flaked and cooked or steamed to make it easier to digest. It is useful for fattening a horse but should not be fed to horses doing strenuous exercise as it stays in the stomach for a long time. Maize should not be fed as a total concentrate feed.
Water- All creatures need water to keep them alive. Water is absolutely essential to the healthy functioning of a horse’s body. Just like people, horses use water as part of their cooling mechanism by sweating in hot temperatures and need to replace the lost water to avoid becoming dehydrated. Horses will take in up to 30 litres of water a day and ideally a supply of fresh water should be constantly available. Young horses that are still growing will require even more.
Mixes- in mixes you will often find ……………..
· Micronised Wheat
· High Fibre Chaff - Suitable for laminitic ponies
· Coarse Mix - Check the contents list of the bag so you know the energy levels.
· Horse & Pony Nuts - Check the bag for the contents as it looks similar to stud or racehorse cubes
· Shredded Unmollassed Beet Pulp - Must be soaked for 24 hours before feeding
· Micronised Flaked Maize - Found sparingly in mixes
· Micronised Peas & Soya Beans - Found in mixes.
· High Energy Chaff - Contains Alfalfa / Lucerne
· Balancer
Milk Pellets- they contain calcium that make horeses bones stronger.
Limestone flour- High in Calcium, it is used to balance out bran or added to diets requiring more calcium.
Soya Oil – this increases stamina and body weight. Its also rich in omega 6 and linoleic.
Garlic-Aids the repertory and digestive system as well as having antibiotic properties.
Biotin-Aids in keeping the horses hooves, coat and skin healthy.
Mint-Aids in digestion and as a tasty treat to encourage fussy eaters.
Cider Vinegar-Aids in good health and joint suppleness, it contains Potassium, phosphorous, sodium, calcium and iron.
Cod Liver Oil-Supple joints with a healthy coat and shine.
Supplements- carrots and apples are great supplements. Theses are given to horses for treats and sometimes to brighten up their feed.
Herbs- Herbs can be iven to help improve the horses immune, respiratory and digestive system. It also helps with calming, hormoal and mobility and pain relief. They come dried and can be mixeed into herbs.
You can also treat your horses with carrots, apples salt licks and polo mints.